Remember the other war?
It's astounding how little attention Afghanistan gets.
A roadside bomb killed three service members and a local-national interpreter in a coalition convoy in eastern Afghanistan, the U.S.-led coalition said.
With the deaths, the number of foreign forces in Afghanistan killed in June has reached 39, the highest monthly toll of the war, according to a CNN count of official figures.
The bombing occurred Thursday in the Sayed Abad District in Wardak province during a combat patrol.
The comes after a breathtaking piece in th LA Times this week:
Insurgent activity is increasing sharply in Afghanistan and has spread into once stable areas, with attacks up almost 40% in the eastern provinces alone, according to new American military data that have prompted alarm among senior Pentagon officials.
Rising attacks against Afghan and NATO troops in the east represent the latest in a series of troubling developments that have led to markedly higher U.S. casualties and have prompted the military's top leadership to order a review of its strategy in Afghanistan, including how to make do with limited numbers of American troops.
When the neo-con bowel movement raises the tag line about supporting the troops the oil-free state of Afghanistan is rarely mentioned.
Or is it because 'Iraq' is easier to write using only 4 letters?
I liked this line: ...including how to make do with limited numbers of American troops.
The last person to conquer Afghanistan was Alexander the Great, and he didn't stop with Afghanistan but conquered pretty much the known world at that time.
I'm surprised American soldiers were killed; usually the dead belong to one of the other nations left holding the bag when the shiny object known as Iraq was spotted.
We have a grandson, age 20, who's a Marine stationed in Farah province. There's very little news and none of it's good. Damn George W. Bush!
None of this comes as a surprise to me. What is interesting is the fact that many people here in the United States actually think that the United States, its stooge Afghan Government, and NATO are in full control of Afghanistan which couldn't be more further from the truth. They control very little in that country. Most of it is run by warlords, tribes, the Taliban, other ethnic groups and so on. The U.S. and its allies are barely able to control the ground they are standing on let alone anything else.
NBC Nightly News surprisingly covered this story last night (iirc). They said the monthly number of troops killed in Afghanistan outnumbered the number killed in Iraq for the first time since the Iraq War began.
Here are a few headlines from Rawa.org that could explain why U.S. troop deaths are increasing:
'US troops cut water supply to Bagramis'
"Quqnoos: Residents claim US soldiers in Bagram airbase have turfed them off their land. More than 1,500 families have been forced to leave their homes near Bagram airbase because American officials on the base have cut off their water supply, residents say."
Afghans protest alleged civilian casualties by US forces
Investigation finds widespread abuse at US detention centre in Afghanistan
http://www.rawa.org/temp/runews/
Che Guevara IV @ 1:
Afghanistan is an opium rich state.
and the big banks missed out on all the money laundering that the decline of the opium production in Afghanistan by the Taliban caused
I am saddened by this, I actually support the war there because, you know, that's where 9/11 was hatched and to see our gov't snatch defeat from the jaws of victory is just sad.
Is Bin Laden there? Oh well, casualties in Afghanistan aren't real people to the Bushies, just acceptable numbers. Air strikes, surges, redeployment are all off the table. (Nancy P. must be supporting this.)
Maybe, there will be big time attacks just prior to the election to show that we NEED to keep the Repubs in office. Gas prices, too, will go down in late October. Or am I a cynic?
Jusker @ 4:
YES.
I hope when his rapture comes it is nothing he believes it to be.
he has created an unholy terror .
I will light a candle for your grandson's safety.
Another thing people dont think about but that I find startling and that I'm fairly sure the entire Muslim world is aware of:
The proposed oil pipeline through A-stan on paper before 9/11 now can be traced on a map as a staight line between where the three largest U.S. bases are in A-stan.
Then only way any stability could ever come to A-stan is if the U.s. left and NATO administered the country (and then its very unlikely)
The neocons have lost two wars, one they started, the other they so fucking inpeptly mismanaged that they have killed, detained, humiliated or otherwise alienated every single fucking person there, as well as the entire Muslim world.
For the first time in my life (since 2002) I can honestly say that for many of these people, perhaps most of them, I dont blame them at all for hating the United States, if the roles were reversed, so would I.
accountability @ 11:
I will light a candle for your grandson's safety.
And who is that gonna help?
Jusker @ 4:
Hope he makes it back in one piece Jusker...
Dick Cheney:
"So?"
Coalition of the willing
Military Fatalities By Year
Year US Other Total
2008 61 57 118
2007 117 115 232
2006 98 93 191
2005 99 31 130
2004 52 6 58
2003 48 9 57
2002 49 20 69
2001 12 0 12
Total 536 331 867
Breaking news from the British Journal of Nutsology.
It is now a proven scientific fact that being republican is proof positive of insanity says Dr Elmwood Futherthom.
All republicans should be treated, and some can recover.
However die hard bush supporters are beyond help and should be quarantined as soon as possible for the greater good of humanity; these people have lost all signs of being human and have become a danger to themselves and others. If republicans are spotted in your area they should be pointed out to local mental health professionals. The sooner the better. That is all.
Mugsy @ 6:
To be spun by Rethugs as "proof" that Iraq is a "success"...
Afghanistan is no more a war, than Iraq. It's an occupation, shooting at everything and anything and calling them Taliban instead of Al Qaeda operatives. Boo! There's an evil Taliban. Boo! There's another one! It's nothing more than a sick cruel excuse to help justify invading Iraq. Nothing more. Kill some more innocent people. No way that would EVER create terrorists seeking revenge.
Christopher Turkel @ 9:
"I actually support the war because, you know, that's where 9/11 was hatched..." Do you support Afghan villages being obliterated and people get ripped to shreds in their homes by American bombs? Take a wild guess as to how many Afghans were involved in the terrorist attacks on 09/11/01? I suspect that you are not aware that the correct answer is zero. As professor Zoltan Grossman of The Evergreen State college in Olympia, Wa. has pointed out, the United States has intervened militarily in over 100 countries from 1890 to 2003 for absolutely no justifiable reason whatsoever. That list does not include the unjustifiable U.S. invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.
The illegal and immoral invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan are classic examples of overkill. It was like having an elephant trying to crush a flea. Ideally what should have happened was for the United States to use police methods combined with intelligence agencies around the world to go after those who hijacked those planes on Sept. 11, 2001. Instead, the less than benevolent United States indiscriminately bombed civilians and ended up killing hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and Afghanis, as well as severely wounding and crippling hundreds of thousands more Iraqis and Afghanis who never threatened anyone in these United States. But to most Americans these actions against The Other by America would seem to be acceptable since these people are not Americans. If there were anything resembling true justice, many if not most members of this corrupt administration would be standing in the dock to be tried for war crimes in The Hague. And yes, to confirm your statement, I do know about what is going on in Afghanistan and also Iraq.
A friend of mine just joined the Army...I tried to talk him out of it, to no avail...he says he hopes he goes to Afghanistan where his buddies are...I'm betting he's going to Iraq...
odanny @ 13:
Geez, no need to be so cynical. It's a nice gesture, don't demean it.
liberalDAPoJUSTICEmoderation @ 22:
Geez, no need to be so cynical. It's a nice gesture, don't demean it.
Of course its a nice gesture. And whether you agree with my "cynicism" or not, (and I truly hope ALL soldiers are safe, as much as I do Afghan civilians are safe from the U.S. military) I think we are past the candle stage in objecting to what is happening.
I dont mean to demean that person's gesture, but at this point, its as effective as a bumper sticker in getting something done.
I remember, on TV, about 9 months ago - The Wonderful Ann Coulter said, "Things are going swimmingly in Afganistan." She said that to divert people's attention from the question that she was avoiding about Iraq. Another woman on the set said something like, "Oh they are not Ann. Get out of here!"
You gotta be kidding me the way the military has their hands tied. They are getting hit and having the taliban run back to safe havens in Pakistan.
Just another never-ending war for the military industrial complex.
The situation in Afghanistan has been getting progressively worse for five years. According to many of the 52 Fulbright scholars who are students from Afghanistan studying here in the states. I have had the privilege of getting to know several of these Fulbright scholars who communicate with their families in Afghanistan weekly. These families have reported that the Taliban has been regaining control for years now. That the lack of U.S. or international funding into their infrastructure (helping build new businesses to replace the poppy industry, building schools, supplying security etc). The U.S. has spent what they spend in Iraq in one month in Afghanistan over the last five years.
It's almost as if the Bush administration wants the Taliban to regain control.
If you want to really read about what is taking place in Iraq, Afghanistan and sometimes the Israeli Palestinian conflict go to Professor
Juan Coles Informed Comment
http://www.juancole.com/
McCain the Liar @ 25:
yes, but its very profitable.
hell, the heroin production alone is worth $4 billion annually. And that figure doesn't factor in the money laundering effects-money lending effects of the trade.
http://www.theage.com.au/world/afghanistan-drug-trade-hits-4-billion-a-y...
The Afghani tribes are very tough and patient peoples; you have to be to live and survive there. The West keeps underestimateing them.
I'm reading some LIFE magazine articles from 1968 on Vietnam, when you combine arrogance with ignorance you get more American foreign policy. No matter what the Bush Admin. course change is in the "new" front of A-stan, you can rest assured it is the wrong approach, as any is that relies solely on military force is doomed, and our foreign policy has been doomed to failure.
jimt @ 2:
Alexander the Great in his conquests (see book by Robin Fox) used the 'traditional' tactics of the era, for those cities which resisted him and fought back, after storming the city the residents were either; (1) all executed (2) all males executed and women/some children removed to distant lands to be sold into slavery. Frankly we might need to resurrect Alexander to deal with the 'lawless tribal areas' on the border with Pakistan, or failing that declare victory and let the chips and heads fall where they may.
The war in Afghanistan is ignored because that illustrates exactly what a miserable failure bush has been since the very beginning. He allowed Osama bin Laden to escape through his own piss poor planning for the capture. bush never had any interest in winning in Afghanistan... it was a convenient detour to placate the public while they sat around planning for the takeover of Iraq.
Go to Juan Cole's "Informed Comment" and look at the clip on Lara Logan and the lack of coverage about the war. But Lara fails to bring up the one million Iraqi people who have died or the 4 million Iraqi refugees. (Lara focuses on American soldiers deaths
Pepe Escobar brings our attention to what is really going on in Iraq
MSM " 2 min per network per week.
http://www.juancole.com/
It's "astounding" how little time the Israeli Palestinian conflict gets. Anyone surprised?
Here is an article about how an Art show in Chicago was recently shut down because the I-lobby felt it showed Israel in a bad light.
Check it out. Muzzlewatch is a great website
http://www.muzzlewatch.com/
"We’ve been following the distressing story about the powerful show on display at Chicago’s Jewish Spertus Museum on maps and the Holyland which featured Palestinian and Israeli artists. First it opened, then suddenly closed, then opened. In a follow up post about how the exhibit ruffled feathers in the institutional Jewish world (read: funders), we pointed to a Chicago Reader story about changes the museum was forced to make when the exhibit re-opened. Hat tip to Richard Silverstein and Google Alerts for the devastating news from the Chicago Tribune tonight that the exhibit was forced to close down altogether by upset funders.
Bush_MUST_Go @ 31:
Read between the pipelines
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Afghanistan_Pipeline
Christopher Turkel @ 9:
You must be one of those guys who thinks jet fuel can burn steel and pulverize concrete in an uncontrolled fire.
Afghanistan plans gas pipeline
Oil pipelines
The pipeline is Afghanistan's biggest foreign investment project
Afghanistan hopes to strike a deal later this month to build a $2bn pipeline through the country to take gas from energy-rich Turkmenistan to Pakistan and India.
Afghan interim ruler Hamid Karzai is to hold talks with his Pakistani and
Turkmenistancounterparts later this month on Afghanistan's biggest foreign investment project, said Mohammad Alim Razim, minister for Mines and Industries told Reuters.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1984459.stm
As Aid Runs Out, Afghan Farmers Return to Poppy
by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson
Listen Now [4 min 10 sec] add to playlist
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7283479
PIpe Dreams
http://www.slate.com/?id=2059487
Vast uranium deposits in Afghanistan (they all ready knew that)
http://commonground.ca/iss/0707192/cg192_du.shtml
NASA recently reported vast uranium deposits in Khazakhstan and Afghanistan. Khazakhstan is expected to out-produce Canada (now the world’s top producer) in uranium production within 12 years.
"The Other War" gets plenty of attention up here in Canada, because Canadian Forces are busting their asses and getting killed doing more than they are required to do. Going the extra distance that's needed due to the understaffing of forces by the country that instigated said war in Afghanistan.
Charles @ 28:
Home Court always has the advantage...
jimt @ 2:
Also the Islamic leader that slapped the snot out of the crusaders was Saladin - an Afghani
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! We invade Afghanistan in retaliation for a 911 attack to which the Afghans had no involvement. The Afghan front is allowed dormant as Cheney and Rumsfeld ignore Afghanistan to concentrate on expanding their 'wider war on terror' to oil rich Iraq. Afghanistan is fragmented by pockets of 'not enough to go around' US Troops. Except Great Britain, Coalition Forces lose interest in Afghanistan. The U.S. fails miserably in aiding Afghan people who we neither care for nor bother to understand and indiscriminately kill. Tribal groups solidify home rule reducing Karzai to nothing more than Mayor of Kabul. Opium exports triple and cash flows for arms. Pakistan cedes large swaths of their northern frontier to Islamic fighters who during the past four years have networked, armed, and coordinated to build up for war just as they did against the Soviets during the seventh year of that failed occupation. Like the Russians and the Brits the U.S. is destined to lose Afghanistan.
Without doubt, Afghanistan is the worst foreign policy blunder and strategic military failure in U.S. history. More so, than Iraq, because we allegedly invaded Afghanistan under the pretense of good intent and with limited global backing. The American people need not look any further than the short narrative above for reason to impeach George W. Bush.
No one in the MSM or on C&L is talking about the chairmanship of Barak Obama of the Senate oversite committee related to Afghanistan. The GOP may blame him for the breakdown because he has been focusing on the election rather than doing his job in the Senate. Sen. McCain probably has some work he has left undone in the Senate but the GOP does not have chair positions on any of the committees so historians will have to look up how his committees did during his 2000 run for President.
Or am I just out of touch?
My 24-year-old nephew, Sgt. Matthew Mendoza, USMC, was killed by an IED in Afghanistan lon June 20. A few days before, perhaps because of a foreboding, he had called his father, mentioning that the his unit had been involved in several dangerous encounters. Matt mentioned they were shorthanded. We buried him today, and he was called a hero, but I would rather have him home alive.
Damn, gloria, that is terrible. I'm so sorry that your nephew died there, all I can say is that, I simply dont know what else could be appropriate at a time like this. What a tragic loss. RIP Sgt. Mendoza, Semper Fidelis.
gloria @ 42:
I am so sorry for your family's loss.
But, did any of us see your nephew's casket upon his final return home? No, of course not, because Bushco won't let us. Our press is complicit in this charade. Americans have been kept from seeing caskets of the returning dead with hopes from Bushco that we might forget about Americans who are dying in far off lands. Gloria, it is your voice that reminds us that our loved ones continue to return home in caskets. As long as you and others like you continue to remind the rest of us that Americans are dying in far away lands, we may just have some hope of ending the occupation in Iraq and focusing our attention on capturing those who perpetuated horrible crimes against our fellow citizens in New York, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania.
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